1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless telecommunications; and, more particularly, to a software architecture for a mobile terminal for a wireless telecommunications system.
2. Description of Related Art
Since cellular telecommunications systems were first introduced in the 1980s, mobile terminals (Mobile Stations) utilized in the systems have become increasingly more complex. Initially, mobile terminals were designed primarily to provide voice telephony services; i.e., to receive and transmit voice communications. In later years, mobile terminals were developed that also included the ability to transfer user data not related to that of a voice telephone call. Such user data included, for example, data to be transferred over a dial-up networking connection initiated via a personal computer (PC). Currently, so-called “third generation” (3G) systems are being developed for future cellular telecommunications systems. 3G systems will combine high-speed Internet access with traditional voice communication, and will provide a user with access to Internet browsing, streaming audio/video, positioning, video conferencing and many other capabilities in addition to voice communication.
The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) was established to ensure compatibility among the several 3G systems that are being developed around the world. The Universal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS) is being developed by 3GPP to provide a 3G system that includes terrestrial and satellite systems capable of delivering voice, data and multimedia anywhere in the world.
The drastically increased functionality that is being included in cellular telecommunications systems via the 3GPP standardization has placed substantial demands on the developers of mobile terminals to be used in the systems. This demand is exacerbated by the fact that a mobile terminal is a “resource scarce” environment that is limited in size, memory and power.
Traditionally, mobile terminal manufacturers have designed, fabricated and marketed substantially complete mobile terminal systems that include all the hardware and software needed for basic terminal operation as well as the hardware and software needed to provide the features and capabilities desired by the manufacturer or a particular user based on their perception of market needs. Such an approach does not provide the flexibility to quickly adapt to rapid changes in market demands or to satisfy the diverse requirements of multiple users.
Furthermore, the software incorporated in a mobile terminal is typically organized in an architecture that comprises a number of software modules that communicate with one another by calling each other's exported interfaces. A problem with such architecture is that there are no specific rules that separate clients from servers, and this makes it difficult to “visualize” the manner in which the software is organized. As a result, current architectural schemes can result in a mixing of client and server functionality in each module on the same level; and such mixing can cause severe problems in the configuration, development and maintenance of the software.
There is, accordingly, a need for a software architecture for a mobile terminal for a wireless telecommunications system and for other applications that is organized in such a manner that the software thereof can be easily visualized and understood.